The fletching matched the pattern in the arrows in his quiver. Two arrows loosed, with the beast barreling down on top of him. It had died, and the second had come in. Barely time to draw a sword. He and the wolf seemed to have killed each other.
Only the woman and the wounded ... man-creature still lived. They were still in front of the tree where they had been in her vision. The spell that had saved them was still in place. As it had kept the wolves out, it now kept them in. Gersalius knelt in the snow in front of the spell. It glowed very faintly, the purplish-pink of wild roses. If he looked directly at it, there was nothing to see, but from the corner of his eye, half-glimpsed, it shimmered. Gersalius ran long fingers along its winking surface. Tiny sparks of violet-pink sizzled in the cold air. The sparks had a more solid color than the shield itself. That’s what the wizard called it, a shield spell. Elaine had never heard of such a thing.
”I cannot dispel it,” Gersalius said, at last. He stood slowly, as if his knees ached from touching the cold snow. He looked suddenly old. ”You must help me, Averil.”
”How?” the woman asked. Her unnerving eyes, the liquid gold of a gaudy sunset, stared at the wizard.
Elaine couldn’t meet the woman’s gaze. She had never seen a human with such eyes.
The rest of her was ordinary enough, if lovely. Her hair was a rich, chestnut brown with a deep copper gleam where the winter sunlight touched it. She was not overly tall, in fact thin, dainty as bird to look at.
Her face was delicate, but human enough. Only the eyes gave lie to the rest. Her cloak was black, thick, but not expensive. The dress she wore was a reddish brown with white linen showing at its square neckline and wrists. Her only decoration was a golden chain with a charm on the end of it. It was the tiny carved figure of a stylized human. The man still lay on the snow inside the shield. His left arm was gone, torn away in the fight. The arm lay by the shield, encased in its stout brown sleeve. Blood stained the snow from its broken end like a bloomed flower. His skin was like the shield in a way. If you looked directly at him, he seemed pale, but here and there from the corners of your eyes, his skin was dusted with gold, like highlights in hair. But his hair seemed beaten gold, so metallic it didn’t look real. His eyes were the same color as his daughter’s. Averil, the woman, was his daughter.
Averil had tied a tourniquet on the stub of his arm. Without it, he would have been as dead as the others.
”How can she aid you, magic-user?” the elf asked. Elaine had heard of elves but never seen one. She found it easier to look at him, alien from the top of his head to his toes, than to meet Averil’s eyes. The elven eyes in that human face were more disturbing somehow, as if the eyes had only borrowed the face and did not really belong there. ”If she would place her hands on the shield and try to dispel from your side, while I do the same out here, perhaps we can break it.” ”If you saved us, Gersalius, why can’t you dispel it?” Averil asked.
”I never took credit for this piece of work.”
”This is not your spell?” Jonathan asked.
”No.”
”It is not mine, either,” Averil said.
”Whose then?” Jonathan asked, his voice thick with suspicion.
”Elaine’s,” the wizard said. As he said it, he turned and smiled at her. She shook her head. ”I didn’t do it.” Everyone was looking at her; most didn’t look happy. ”I’ve never heard of such a spell. How could I have done it and not known?” ”What did you do in the vision, just before the wolves leapt?” the wizard asked. Elaine looked down at the snow as if it held some clue. ”I didn’t want to see them killed. I couldn’t just watch.” She looked up, staring at Gersalius. ”I thought, ’I won’t let it happen.’ I remember reaching out to them as if I could touch her, save her.”
”And so, you did,” he
Only the woman and the wounded ... man-creature still lived. They were still in front of the tree where they had been in her vision. The spell that had saved them was still in place. As it had kept the wolves out, it now kept them in. Gersalius knelt in the snow in front of the spell. It glowed very faintly, the purplish-pink of wild roses. If he looked directly at it, there was nothing to see, but from the corner of his eye, half-glimpsed, it shimmered. Gersalius ran long fingers along its winking surface. Tiny sparks of violet-pink sizzled in the cold air. The sparks had a more solid color than the shield itself. That’s what the wizard called it, a shield spell. Elaine had never heard of such a thing.
”I cannot dispel it,” Gersalius said, at last. He stood slowly, as if his knees ached from touching the cold snow. He looked suddenly old. ”You must help me, Averil.”
”How?” the woman asked. Her unnerving eyes, the liquid gold of a gaudy sunset, stared at the wizard.
Elaine couldn’t meet the woman’s gaze. She had never seen a human with such eyes.
The rest of her was ordinary enough, if lovely. Her hair was a rich, chestnut brown with a deep copper gleam where the winter sunlight touched it. She was not overly tall, in fact thin, dainty as bird to look at.
Her face was delicate, but human enough. Only the eyes gave lie to the rest. Her cloak was black, thick, but not expensive. The dress she wore was a reddish brown with white linen showing at its square neckline and wrists. Her only decoration was a golden chain with a charm on the end of it. It was the tiny carved figure of a stylized human. The man still lay on the snow inside the shield. His left arm was gone, torn away in the fight. The arm lay by the shield, encased in its stout brown sleeve. Blood stained the snow from its broken end like a bloomed flower. His skin was like the shield in a way. If you looked directly at him, he seemed pale, but here and there from the corners of your eyes, his skin was dusted with gold, like highlights in hair. But his hair seemed beaten gold, so metallic it didn’t look real. His eyes were the same color as his daughter’s. Averil, the woman, was his daughter.
Averil had tied a tourniquet on the stub of his arm. Without it, he would have been as dead as the others.
”How can she aid you, magic-user?” the elf asked. Elaine had heard of elves but never seen one. She found it easier to look at him, alien from the top of his head to his toes, than to meet Averil’s eyes. The elven eyes in that human face were more disturbing somehow, as if the eyes had only borrowed the face and did not really belong there. ”If she would place her hands on the shield and try to dispel from your side, while I do the same out here, perhaps we can break it.” ”If you saved us, Gersalius, why can’t you dispel it?” Averil asked.
”I never took credit for this piece of work.”
”This is not your spell?” Jonathan asked.
”No.”
”It is not mine, either,” Averil said.
”Whose then?” Jonathan asked, his voice thick with suspicion.
”Elaine’s,” the wizard said. As he said it, he turned and smiled at her. She shook her head. ”I didn’t do it.” Everyone was looking at her; most didn’t look happy. ”I’ve never heard of such a spell. How could I have done it and not known?” ”What did you do in the vision, just before the wolves leapt?” the wizard asked. Elaine looked down at the snow as if it held some clue. ”I didn’t want to see them killed. I couldn’t just watch.” She looked up, staring at Gersalius. ”I thought, ’I won’t let it happen.’ I remember reaching out to them as if I could touch her, save her.”
”And so, you did,” he
Similar Books
